1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a GUI (Graphical User Interface) automatic generating system for inputting data of a manufacturing process of an LSI in an LSI simulation system, by using a GUI, and relates more particularly to a GUI automatic generating system for generating a GUI layout of a data input window in accordance with format data.
2. Description of Related Art
A GUI automatic generating system of this type has so far been structured as a system as shown, for example, in the Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 7-219753. FIG. 1 is a block diagram for showing the principle of this prior-art technique. In accordance with an instruction from an application program 301, a window system 302 generates parts for a GUI based on an assigned resource within a resource file 303. The resource file 303 corresponds to each GUI structured by a plurality of parts, and has a structure description resource 304 for describing types of parts for constituting the GUI and a relationship between the respective parts with identifiers attached thereto, and information relating to a call back processing to be executed when each part has been operated. Upon receiving a request for generating a GUI from the application program 301, a data input system refers to a corresponding resource within the resource file 303 and makes a decision as to whether this resource is the structure description resource 304 or not by a judgement unit 305 based on the presence or absence of an identifier.
In this decision, types of parts for constituting the corresponding GUI and the relationship between the parts are analyzed based on a description shown by an identifier included in the structure description resource 304 in accordance with a result of the decision that the referred resource is the structure description resource. In accordance with a result of this analysis, an analysis processing unit 306 requests the window system 302 to carry out a processing for generating the respective parts. When a decision is that the referred resource is not the structure description resource, a repeating unit 307 repeats the request for generating the GUI to the window system 302.
As explained above, according to the prior-art technique, layout information of a GUI and call back information are described in the resource file 303, and the change of the GUI layout can be done by only changing the resource file 303.
However, according to the above-described prior-art technique, although an addition or a change of the GUI layout can be done by changing the resource file, there is a problem that in order to change input data to a simulator input format, it is necessary to add or change a call back function and to re-compile the function so that the software development becomes complex. This is because, according to the prior-art technique, although the resource file has layout information and call back information corresponding to each part of the GUI, the call back function does not include a function for changing input data into a simulation input format.